August is often the warmest, most activity-filled month here in the Vancouver, WA and Portland area. The days are long, the kids are still out of school, and your calendar might be packed with everything from camping trips to family barbecues.

It’s beautiful—but let’s be honest, it can also feel like a lot.

By this point in the summer, many women I work with are feeling tapped out. Burned out. Overstimulated. Their bodies are buzzing with tension, their patience is thin, and they’re feeling the effects—physically and emotionally.

What most don’t realize is that this state of chronic “on-ness” impacts far more than just mood or fatigue. It affects your nervous system—and by extension, your pelvic floor.

The Nervous System–Pelvic Floor Connection

When your body is under constant stress or stimulation (even the good kind), it ramps up the fight-or-flight response. Your breathing becomes shallow. Your jaw tightens. Your shoulders creep up. Your pelvic floor muscles tense in response to it all.

This is your body doing its job to “keep you safe.” But when there’s no pause, no downshift, your nervous system never fully lands in that rest and digest zone where true healing happens.

Here’s what that can look like:

• Pelvic floor muscles that are tight, clenched, or overactive
• Increased bladder urgency or frequency
• More pelvic pain or pressure by the end of the day
• Constipation or incomplete bowel movements
• Lower back, hip, or jaw pain that lingers

If this sounds familiar, know that it’s not just in your head—and you’re not alone.

A Real-World Example

I recently worked with a patient who came in reporting increased pelvic pressure, difficulty going to the bathroom, and a sense of overall fatigue. She said, “I don’t know why, but everything feels worse at the end of summer.”

As we talked more, I discovered she had been running around all season—managing kids’ camps, traveling on the weekends, staying up late, and barely getting time to herself. She hadn’t had a full day to rest in over a month.

Her pelvic floor was overactive. Her breath was shallow. And her nervous system was on edge.

We worked together on simple breathwork, posture resets, and calming techniques, and the shift was powerful. Within a few weeks of focusing on nervous system care, her symptoms began to ease—and so did her sense of internal overwhelm.

Signs of Nervous System Overload Impacting Pelvic Health

If you’re unsure whether summer burnout is affecting you, here are some signs:

• You feel tension in your low belly, hips, or pelvic floor by mid-day
• You’re clenching your jaw or holding your breath without noticing
• You feel buzzy, restless, or easily overwhelmed
• You pee “just in case” all the time, or you’re always looking for a bathroom
• You struggle to fall asleep or feel exhausted even after rest

These are all red flags from your nervous system saying: please slow down.

7 Ways to Cool Your Nervous System (and Support Your Pelvic Floor)

1. Breathe Deep—Really Deep
Try this: place your hands on your lower ribs. Inhale slowly through your nose and imagine your ribs expanding like an umbrella. Exhale slowly and completely. Repeat for 2–3 minutes.

Even a few minutes of breathwork can help shift you from fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest mode.

2. Modified Legs Up the Wall
Lie on your back with your legs resting on a couch and no pillow under your head. Let your legs fully relax and focus on slow, easy breathing. An alternative is lying back over a yoga bolster with your arms hanging to the sides for a gentle chest and nervous system release.

3. Bathroom Breathing Reset
Each time you go to the bathroom, try this: Sit with your forearms resting on your thighs. Let your belly soften and release toward the floor as you inhale. Repeat this slow breath five times. This posture encourages pelvic floor relaxation, eases tension, and can even trigger the gastrocolic reflex to support healthy bowel movements.

4. Add Minerals & Magnesium
When you’re sweating more (hello, August heat!), your body loses minerals. This can worsen muscle cramping, tension, and fatigue. Two of the best forms of magnesium would be magnesium malate and glycinate. Malate is best for the first half of the day for energy and glycinate is best the second half. Some even find magnesium glycinate to be helpful for better sleep.

Try adding electrolytes or a magnesium supplement. One I recommend often is from Jigsaw Health, which is balanced and gentle on the stomach. Use code BUFFY10 for $10 off: HERE

5. Use a Sleep Mask or Blue Light Glasses
Long summer evenings can mess with your circadian rhythm. Using a sleep mask or blue light blocking glasses after dinner can help your body begin winding down, support melatonin production, and ease you into more restorative sleep.

6. Schedule True Downtime
Block out even 30–60 minutes where nothing is expected of you. Let yourself rest, read, stretch, or simply breathe without doing. Rest is productive.

7. Gentle Core & Glute Activation
Movement that supports your body—like gentle glute bridges, wall sits, or standing core presses—can help reset your muscle tone and reduce tension. You’ll find short, calming options inside the Her Wellness Era membership.

Start Small with a Mini Habit

If all of this feels like a lot, that’s okay. One of the best ways to reduce overwhelm and actually stick with a calming practice is to start with one mini habit.
A mini habit is a small, simple action that you can easily repeat every day—no matter how busy or tired you are. It might be:

• 3 slow breaths before you get out of bed
• Doing your bathroom breathing reset once a day
• Putting your legs up on the couch for 2 minutes before dinner

These small acts might not feel like much in the moment, but over time, they signal safety to your nervous system. And safety is what allows your pelvic floor to release, your bladder to calm, and your body to begin healing.

So if you take one thing from this post, let it be this:

Pick one mini habit or strategy that feels doable to you right now—and commit to it for the next week.

Let it be your signal to your body that you are safe, supported, and ready to feel better.

You Don’t Have to Push Through

If your body is giving you signs that it’s running on empty—listen. Your pelvic floor is listening too.

Now is the perfect time to cool your system, slow your breath, and reconnect with your body before the busy fall season begins.
And if your symptoms are sticking around or getting worse? That’s your sign to come see us.

We provide one-on-one pelvic PT that supports the whole person—body, mind, and nervous system included.

👉 Contact us to schedule an evaluation

With warmth and support,

Buffy Stinchfield, PT

The Pelvic Health Coach, Founder, Pinnacle Women’s Therapeutics